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Econintersect: Week 24 of 2014 shows same week total rail traffic (from same week one year ago) grew according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR) traffic data. Rail growth continues to be good, but this week is again slightly weaker than previous weeks.

Follow up:

This analysis is looking for clues in the rail data to show the direction of economic activity - and is not necessarily looking for clues of profitability of the railroads. The weekly data is fairly noisy, and the best way to view it is to look at the rolling averages:

Percent current rolling average is larger than the rolling average of one year ago

Current quantities accelerating or decelerating

Current rolling average accelerating or decelerating compared to the rolling average one year ago

4 week rolling average

6.4%

unchanged

decelerating

13 week rolling average

7.2%

accelerating

decelerating

52 week rolling average

3.5%

accelerating

accelerating

A summary of the data from the AAR:

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported increased U.S. rail traffic for the week ending June 14, 2014 with 295,132 total carloads, up 2.2 percent compared with the same week last year. This was the highest week in history for total U.S. intermodal volume, reaching 270,243 units, up 6.3 percent compared with the same week last year. Total combined U.S. weekly rail traffic was 565,375 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.1 percent compared with the same week last year.

Nine of the 10 carload commodity groups posted increases compared with the same week in 2013, including grain with 20,078 carloads, up 22.3 percent; petroleum and petroleum products with 16,130 carloads, up 13.2 percent; and metallic ores and metals with 27,010 carloads, up 8.4 percent.

For the first 24 weeks of 2014, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 6,858,695 carloads, up 3.2 percent compared with the same point last year, and 6,105,121 intermodal units, up 5.8 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 24 weeks of 2014 was 12,963,816 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.4 percent from last year.

USA coal production is down 8.1% same week year-over-year - and coal accounts for well over 1/3rd of carloads.

Here is a look at the weekly data comparing it to the same week one year ago, backing out economically less intuitive coal and grain, and comparing growth year-to-date.

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